The accused, however, told the court that he was in his seventies and maximum leniency and humanitarian consideration should be given to him. He also made a plea to be sent to Thiruvananthapuram central jail.

Public Prosecutor Vaikom Purshothamana Nair advocated for maximum punishment to the accused as he had branded a common man as a Naxalite and taken him to Thiruvenlli forests, where he shot Varghese in cold blood with his hands tied.

The court, however, acquitted former DGP K P Vijayan, who was also an accused in the case, giving him the benefit of doubt.

Varghese was gunned down by the police in cold blood in the Thiruvenlli forests in Kerala's Wayanad district on February 18, 1970 and it was described as an 'encounter' death. (ANI)